U.S. President Donald Trump has confirmed that Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to resume the export of rare earth minerals to the United States.
The announcement came during an in-flight press interaction aboard Air Force One. When asked by a journalist whether Xi had indeed committed to restarting the shipments, Trump replied that China would resume the supply, which had been paused since April.
“Yes, he agreed. We’ve made significant progress in negotiations on an agreement with China,” the president stated.
The development follows recent tensions between the two nations, with Trump accusing China of breaching a prior agreement on tariff reductions. The earlier deal, made during bilateral trade negotiations in May, outlined a temporary scaling back of tariffs: the U.S. would lower duties on Chinese goods from 145% to 30%, while China would reduce its tariffs on American imports from 125% to 10%. The two sides also agreed to create a mechanism for continued dialogue on trade and economic matters.
Trump also recently spoke with Xi Jinping, during which they agreed to maintain ongoing trade discussions and extended invitations for mutual visits.
On June 6, Trump announced that American and Chinese officials are scheduled to meet in London next week to continue talks aimed at resolving trade disputes.
